The present invention relates to a read/write apparatus for reading information out from and writing same on a magnetic card, and more particularly to a read/write apparatus for magnetic card, which apparatus is small in depth size, and is capable of permitting services to be rendered or merchandise to be sold if the price of which is equal to or less than the sum of balances carried in a plurality of magnetic cards.
There is known a read/write apparatus for magnetic card, which is arranged to read information from a magnetic stripe formed in magnetic cards such as bank cards, credit cards, and identification cards, and, where required, to write information on the same magnetic stripe after services are rendered or merchandise is sold. This conventional read/write apparatus for magnetic card is so arranged that a card inserted therein, to have its information read out from its magnetic stripe and new information written thereon, is conveyed in the apparatus in the same direction as one along which the insertion is made. For this reason, the conventional apparatus receiving the magnetic card for services or selling need be thick in depth. However, the read/write apparatus is required to be thin depending on circumstances in which the apparatus is employed. For example, in case that a pinball vending machine for selling balls upon insertion of the magnetic card is installed between pinball machines, a thick pinball vending machine is unusable. Therefore, the magnetic card read/write apparatus to be equipped in the pinball vending machine of this type. must be small in depth size.
Also, there is known a sales system for performing services or selling merchandise, in which information data such as the balance (i.e., an amount orignally carried in the card minus a spent amount) of the inserted card is read out from the magnetic stripe of the card; the difference between the balance of the card and the price of the service rendered or the price of the merchandise sold is calculated; the difference or the renewed balance data is written on the magnetic stripe; and the card is returned to the outside. Also, a magnetic card read/write apparatus is known, which is employed for the sales system of this kind.
In the above-mentioned selling system which responds to the insertion of the magnetic card, if the balance recorded in the magnetic card inserted into the read/write apparatus is less than the price of the services or merchandise, services or merchandise that a customer wishes to obtain is not available.